


when i look up at the sky, what meets my eye?

by imbeccable



Category: Starlight Brigade
Genre: "well i guess they're my family now", "well i guess this kid is ours now", 5+1, Gen, Nonbinary Character, and they're all gonna be like, but oh boy it's gonna be great, it'll be wonderful you'll love it, ngl this kinda comes from my salt about what voltron should have been, strive is gonna see those pilots and be like, they/them pronouns for Strive, will add more relationships and characters as they come, you'll see in the next few chapters when i get them out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 22:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19160437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imbeccable/pseuds/imbeccable
Summary: Strive's dream was to see the stars again. They've wanted it since the very second the stars were stolen, from the very instant in which they reached their hand out to try and pull the stars back. And since nobody else seems to be stepping up to bat, it seems Strive will have to be the one to do it. They've got the persistence to do it, anyway. Their hope has held on this long, hasn't it? That's more than any of the rest of their people can say (not that they can blame them; the situation isn't exactly in everyone's favor).Besides, how hard could defeating the void prism and its entire fleet of spaceships and returning the stolen starlight to its rightful place in the sky really be?-Or: five times Strive's hope nearly diminishes and the one time it shined brighter than ever.





	when i look up at the sky, what meets my eye?

**Author's Note:**

> so yes i'm writing a fic about a four or so minute long music video that has given no actual world-building details besides the names of the protagonists and vague implications about hope and light.  
> sue me.  
> i really hope the few people looking for fanfiction for this will like it! personally, i love 5+1 fics so i absolutely had to write one.  
> as for strive using they/them, the only thing i'll say is that this is the first time i'm using they/them for a character, so please let me know if anything is confusing to read, and i'll try to clear it up as best I can! thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoy!

Strive remembered when the starlight was stolen. They had been too young to understand at the time, but honestly, no one could really wrap their heads around what happened. The image of the stars removing themselves from the sky and into the void-like prism invading had burned itself into everyone's minds. To think there was something so powerful, so evil as to pluck the stars out of the sky one by one. Nothing in all their peoples' history could even come close to it.

Their world was launched into a time of confusion and chaos, everyone trying to figure out the why's and the how's. But nobody had any answers. Not the adults, not the elders, not even the other planets had any idea.

Strive could see it though. Something had been taken from the planet, from its people. The light the void took must have been something everyone shared, something that was even in the planets themselves. They weren't sure in the beginning, but they could see how their home started to fall apart, how their people so quickly turned against one another, how each and every one of their lights went out one by one.

That was probably the saddest thing, really. Strive watched as the years passed and the lights in his people's chests started dwindling. There came a time when Strive was the only one glowing as they and their father walked through town. The pair would garner stares from the others, ones of pity and envy.

But mostly, everyone just looked sad.

There was one specific instance that had burned itself into Strive's mind. It used to haunt them in the night when they still cared about what people thought of them. When they were twelve, they had walked into their school classroom and had found that not a single person was glowing; save, of course, for themself. It was the first time they'd noticed it, really, but looking back it had always been happening, slowly. The adults had been first, of course, but adults had always had a sort of hopelessness about them that kids didn't understand. The children had always glowed the brightest anyway. Which, Strive supposed, was what had caught them so off guard. To think that even their fellow children decided it wasn't worth it to hold on. It knocked the wind out of their lungs, seeing those dull, sad eyes look at him from all over the room. How could Strive be the only one to still think there was a chance? How could Strive be alone in thinking the stars could be _saved?_

Those dull eyes had all flickered down to Strive's light, and upon seeing it, they filled with jealousy, anger, envy. Not too long ago, Strive would have considered these kids their friends. Amazing what hopelessness can do to you. 

To put a long story short, the children didn't like Strive's hope.

They went home that night with an aching heart and stinging eyes. The children's hurtful words bounced around in their head, and while Strive had vehemently protested the insults and name-calling before, now alone with their thoughts Strive couldn't help but see some truth.

After all, why were they the only one in their town to still be glowing? Was it naivety on their part? Did they just feel unwarranted confidence that everything will turn out alright? Or was everyone else just too weak-hearted, too unbelieving?

Maybe... maybe Strive was the wrong one.

They stepped into the dark house and paused in the doorway. Their father was standing over the stove, a pleasant smell drifting through the air. He had begun speaking as the door opened, greeting Strive probably and telling them dinner was nearly ready, but Strive couldn’t hear him over the sound of their own heartbeat in their ears. Below them, a bright light strobed in their vision, hypnotizing them as insult after insult echoed in their head.

_The stars aren’t coming back, you idiot._

_All you’re doing is hurting yourself and us. Can’t you see your light just makes us sadder?_

_What, you think just_ believing _will put the stars back?_

_Your hope is so stupid and isn’t doing anyone any good._

_Strive, honey, I know what the kids said was hurtful, but they just don’t want you to get your hopes up. It’s been years, maybe you ought to think a little practically. Hope is okay if it doesn’t distract you from reality. The stars… they won’t be coming back._

“—ive!—trive! _Strive!_ ”

Strive jolted back into their body, their stuttering light illuminating the room with bright flashes. It cast their father’s face in strange shadows, accenting the fear and concern he showed. “Strive, are you alright, what’s wrong?”

“I-I… I don’t—” Strive started, then fell forward into the comfort of their father’s arms. They clutched onto their father's cloak like it was the only thing keeping them grounded. “I-I don’t know! Everything’s so loud a-and all I can hear is the kids’ words a-a-and I can’t stop thinking about the stars and everyone's lights and how they’re gone but mine isn’t, why is mine still here, I-I didn’t do anything special, I’ve just been waiting for the stars to come back, d-dad, everyone’s saying they won’t but I _know_ they will, I can just—just _feel it,_  I—” They took a gasping breath, hiccuping over their emotions as tears spill over their eyes. They buried their face into their father’s chest as he carded a hand through their hair and gently shushed him. “They’re all being so _mean,_  I just don’t understand it!”

The pair stayed like that for a few minutes as Strive cried their heart out. Enveloped in their father’s arms, the flashing core in their chest smoothed out until it became even but unusually dim.

Eventually, Strive squirmed in their father’s arms and he held them at arm's length. Strive’s eyes flickered from their father’s caring and soft ones to the dark floor. Their father smiled at Strive’s bashfulness and gently spoke, “Strive. I don’t know what your classmates said to you, but I want you to know that you having your light is _good_ .” Strive finally kept their gaze on their father, eyes widening in their surprise. “It means you haven’t given up, that you still believe wholeheartedly in your dream. I know the rest of us,” their father took one hand away to gently stroke his own core, so dim it might as well not exist, “haven’t been as hopeful, but this light in your chest speaks of your stubbornness and your persistence.” His hand came up to cup Strive’s cheek, stroking it with a gentleness Strive couldn’t help but lean into. “If you had come home today with that light extinguished, I would have known all hope was lost. If this gloom had gotten even _you_ , I don’t know how any of us would have continued on. You—” He took a quick breath, pushing past his emotions, “I—I know I come off as overprotective and maybe a bit too strict, but I… I care for you so, so much, my child, and—well, I know you can hold all of our hope in that caring, open heart of yours.”

“Oh, dad—” Strive dove in for another hug. Their father wrapped them up even tighter in his arms and breathed unsteadily as his own tears spilled.

“Nothing is wrong with you, Strive,” their father continued. “You’ve—You’ve just got the heart to carry on, and by the stars, I am so _proud_ of you.” He buried his hand in Strive’s hair and held them close. His crystal glowed a little brighter between them both. “The stars will come back. I’m sure they will. We’ve just got to wait it out. Someone will take care of that forsaken void, I know it.”

Strive gave a sharp nod, ignoring the wriggling thought in their mind about wanting to do it themself.

Their father breathed deeply in through his nose and pulled away, though he kept a hand on Strive’s back. “Alright. Now, what do you say we dig in?”

Strive smiled mutely and nodded. Their father grinned back and went towards the kitchen.

Strive looked down and placed a hand over their recovered light. They gently rubbed at their core, watching as the bright light passed through their fingers and relished in the gentle warmth emanating from it.

Yeah. They would hold onto their hope. They would keep it and project it, let their whole world know that they would keep the hope for everyone. Because the stars would come back. They didn't know when, or how, but the stars would return, and Strive, if they could help it, would be in the center of it all, releasing the stars from their captivity and giving everyone the hope that had been so cruelly taken away from them.

With a renewed passion, they nodded to themself and went to help their father set the table for dinner.

 

* * *

 

Strive remembered when the starlight was stolen. It pushed their people into a dark time full of suspicion, fear, and despair. They remembered what it felt like to be the only one holding on, still believing that someone would bring those beautiful stars back to the sky, that someone would give their people a reason to smile again. Strive remembered wishing it was them.

How funny it was, then, that that hope paid off in the form of what looked like a shooting star, crashing onto their planet six years later.

How exactly could they say no to that?


End file.
